ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A St. Johns County woman pleaded no contest to second-degree manslaughter last week, April 2, in connection to the death of her 11-year-old child, who died in a house fire in October 2018, court records show.

Michelle Taylor, 41, will have an arson charge dismissed by the state during her sentencing on May 30 in the case, according to a court document. The document also says that the state will recommend a sentence of anywhere between three to 13 years, with credit for time served.

On Oct. 23, 2018, a teen called 911, telling them that there was a fire at her home, located in the 1000 block of Lee Street, and that her younger sibling was trapped inside, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office (SJSO).

Deputies later arrived and tried to enter the home to save the child, but the heat and smoke prevented them from going inside, the sheriff’s office told First Coast News. Eventually, firefighters discovered the burned remains of an 11-year-old child inside the home, SJSO said.

Family members confirmed the child as Taylor’s son, David Eugene Taylor. His great-uncle Mark Hall told First Coast News that David was a student at R. J. Murray Middle School.

Hall said Taylor and her 18-year-old daughter at the time made it out of the house when the fire broke out, but that David went back in to try and save a dog. The dog was able to make it out of the house.

“He [probably] breathed the smoke in and passed out,” Hall said about David.

Local, state and federal authorities then began investigating the fire’s cause and origin. Investigators found that there was gasoline in samples taken from the home, hinting at arson, according to SJSO.

Investigators later identified Taylor as the arsonist, with her motive being to collect insurance money, SJSO said.